No. 38: "15-Minute Wings" at Simmzy's

I do not know why they are called "15-Minute Wings". Supposedly they take that long to prepare; but I got them in significantly less time than that. I am guessing that since so many people order them, the production of these wings is non-stop. The point of the name, I think, is to convey that they took special care to cook them. And they do taste like someone put some time into making them as great as chicken wings could ever be.

Each is coated in a carefully modulated orange-hued sauce that's not too hot, too sweet or too tangy. It's this sauce that makes the wings. It's not the typical harsh Buffalo lube made of butter and Frank's, but something far creamier, much smoother, as if coconut milk or heavy cream was involved. There is no need to use the supplied dip of ranch. You'd ruin it if you did.

You swear getting a whiff of a Thai accent, perhaps some kaffir lime or maybe even lemongrass went in there. It's almost, but not quite, a curry. And when you eat one, you still feel the slight crackle of the fried skin beneath the thick stratum of that lovely, lovely orange gravy, which you'll lick off your fingers and suck from underneath your nails.

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Edwin Goei was born on the island of Java, grew up in La Habra, studied in Irvine, and eats everywhere. Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, he went by the alias "elmomonster" on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.